Hours Of Flight Time Research Articles

Hospitals, Aviation and Business

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. Boeing’s recent troubles remind us that in many ways, healthcare is like aviation: 1. They are both highly technical endeavors, guided by highly educated and trained personnel such as physicians and pilots. 2. Even small mistakes can be devastating. 3. Operating margins (operating income/revenue) are very low. 4. Both are led by businessmen not trained in the industry. 5. Some have put profit ahead of safety. The cockpit of the typical airliner or the multitude of instruments in the typical intensive care unit demonstrates that aviation and medicine are both highly technical. Airline pilots have a minimum of 1,500 hours of flight time. This includes time spent obtaining a private pilot’s license, commercial license, instrument rating, multiengine rating, and airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate. Pilots often have additional in type ratings for turboprop or jet engines. Many have spent time as flight instructors and normally have at least 5 years …

ВОЗРАСТ ПИЛОТА И ТРАВМАТИЗМ В АВИАЦИИ

The results of an analysis of the influence of pilot age on injury statistics in civil aviation are described. The proportion of aviation accidents caused by human actions remains the same and even tends to increase. Workers continue to get injured during ground handling operations for aircraft. The authors' assessment of the various risk factors contribution to ongoing negative events confirms the human factor prevalence. Statistics on the activities of civil aviation was analyzed. Examples of aviation accidents involving general aviation aircraft and medical aircraft transporting patients who required emergency medical care were considered. It has been shown that there is a peak in the aviation accidents for pilots aged 50-59 years, and this peak is observed among experienced pilots with more than 5,000 hours of flight time. For pilots aged 40-49 years, half of the accidents occurred among aircraft commanders with 1,000 ... 5,000 hours of flight time, and about one third among pilots with less than 500 hours of flight time. It was revealed that for domestic general aviation in 2020, the main causes of aviation accidents were such elements of human factor as piloting errors associated with deficiencies in training and little flight experience; loss of spatial orientation in weather conditions that do not comply with visual flight rules, when the underlying surface is white, when caught in a snow whirlwind, as well as a collision with power line wires.

An Autonomous Uncrewed Aircraft System Performing Targeted Atmospheric Observation for Cloud Seeding Operations

This paper presents the results of a 3-week-long field deployment of an autonomous uncrewed aircraft system for targeted observation of early-convective storm systems in the U.S. Great Plains with application to cloud seeding operations. Due to reduced operational costs and requirements, autonomous small uncrewed aircraft systems present an appealing alternative to traditional crewed aircraft. The objective of the system is to gather and ultimately act upon in situ atmospheric data that are inaccessible via remote sensing techniques. Utilizing a combination of remote and in situ weather data, a dispersed autonomous decision-making system works integrally with a human operator to investigate early-convective storms for subregions which have favorable conditions for cloud seeding. The autonomy framework enables one operator to interface with multiple aircraft, which is demonstrated by performing complex sensing and seeding maneuvers with a team of two aircraft. Results from nine flights totaling over 8 hours of flight time are presented and discussed. Although the release of actual cloud seeding material was not performed during the campaign, this study demonstrates the utility and feasibility of small uncrewed aircraft systems for use in airborne cloud seeding operations.

Technical Challenges for Multi-Temporal and Multi-Sensor Image Processing Surveyed by UAV for Mapping and Monitoring in Precision Agriculture

Precision Agriculture (PA) is an approach to maximizing crop productivity in a sustainable manner. PA requires up-to-date, accurate and georeferenced information on crops, which can be collected from different sensors from ground, aerial or satellite platforms. The use of optical and thermal sensors from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platform is an emerging solution for mapping and monitoring in PA, yet many technological challenges are still open. This technical note discusses the choice of UAV type and its scientific payload for surveying a sample area of 5 hectares, as well as the procedures for replicating the study on a larger scale. This case study is an ideal opportunity to test the best practices to combine the requirements of PA surveys with the limitations imposed by local UAV regulations. In the field area, to follow crop development at various stages, nine flights over a period of four months were planned and executed. The usage of ground control points for optimal georeferencing and accurate alignment of maps created by multi-temporal processing is analyzed. Output maps are produced in both visible and thermal bands, after appropriate strip alignment, mosaicking, sensor calibration, and processing with Structure from Motion techniques. The discussion of strategies, checklists, workflow, and processing is backed by data from more than 5000 optical and radiometric thermal images taken during five hours of flight time in nine flights throughout the crop season. The geomatics challenges of a georeferenced survey for PA using UAVs are the key focus of this technical note. Accurate maps derived from these multi-temporal and multi-sensor surveys feed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Decision Support Systems (DSS) to benefit PA in a multidisciplinary approach.

A simulation study of drone delivery of Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) in the UK.

BackgroundDrones are increasingly used in healthcare, and feasibility studies of deployment of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) in Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have been conducted. Despite the potential contribution of drones to healthcare, regulatory barriers exist, including limits on flights beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS). The aim of this project was to deliver an AED BVLOS in Wales.MethodsWe developed of a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) to identify requirements, constraints, organisation and roles and responsibilities associated with deploying a drone to deliver an AED BVLOS. We equipped a Penguin B drone with satellite-enabled technology to enhance situational awareness and safety for the remote pilot. A BVLOS Operating Safety Case and three-week flight test programme was conducted with an AED attached directly to parachute for deployment to simulated OHCA.ResultsWe completed six flights totalling 92km, 1:02.5 hours of flight time and four successful parachute payload drops. We conducted a successful end-to-end flight demonstration of an AED delivered via BVLOS by drone to a simulated OHCA and resuscitation by lay responder’s in a remote location; the final delivery of 4.5km was completed in 2:50 minutes.ConclusionWe have delivered an AED by parachute, from fixed wing drone BVLOS in the UK in simulated OHCA. This project adds to the body of knowledge required for regulatory assurance on drone use BVLOS. Further research is needed before routine use of this technology.

Large-Scale Exploration of Cave Environments by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

This paper presents a self-contained system for the robust utilization of aerial robots in the autonomous exploration of cave environments to help human explorers, first responders, and speleologists. The proposed system is generally applicable to an arbitrary exploration task within an unknown and unstructured subterranean environment and interconnects crucial robotic subsystems to provide full autonomy of the robots. Such subsystems primarily include mapping, path and trajectory planning, localization, control, and decision making. Due to the diversity, complexity, and structural uncertainty of natural cave environments, the proposed system allows for the possible use of any arbitrary exploration strategy for a single robot, as well as for a cooperating team. A multi-robot cooperation strategy that maximizes the limited flight time of each aerial robot is proposed for exploration and search & rescue scenarios where the homing of all deployed robots back to an initial location is not required The entire system is validated in a comprehensive experimental analysis comprising of hours of flight time in a real-world cave environment, as well as by hundreds of hours within a state-of-the-art virtual testbed that was developed for the DARPA Subterranean Challenge robotic competition. Among others, experimental results include multiple real-world exploration flights traveling over 470 meters on a single battery in a demanding unknown cave environment.

Enabling equality of employment with insulin treated diabetes in safety‐critical occupations

Enabling equality of employment with insulin treated diabetes in safety‐critical occupations

Effects of Westbound Trans-meridian Travel on Countermovement Jump Performance in International-Level Rowers.

Everett, KLA, Chapman, DW, Mitchell, JA, and Ball, N. Effects of westbound trans-meridian travel on countermovement jump performance in international-level rowers. J Strength Cond Res 36(7): 1961-1965, 2022-International long-haul air travel is a necessity for many athletes as part of their training or competition schedules. However, long-haul travel is also associated with impaired neuromuscular function. An athlete's lower body neuromuscular status is frequently assessed and monitored using countermovement jump (CMJ). This study assessed the impact of westbound trans-meridian travel on changes in CMJ performance in highly trained aerobic athletes. Highly trained male rowers (n = 21, 23.7 ± 1.4 years, 1.91 ± 0.07 m, 86.9 ± 9.9 kg) undertook a westbound flight incurring 22 hours of flight time with 30 hours of total travel time across 9 time zones. Athletes completed a single set of 6 loaded CMJ repetitions before and after travel with performance measured using a digital optical encoder attached to a 20 kg barbell. Each CMJ repetition was assessed for mean concentric velocity, jump height (JH), eccentric displacement, JH:dip ratio, mean power, and mean eccentric velocity, with comparisons made between mean set changes before and after travel. Changes were compared using a one tail paired t-test and characterized using Cohen's d (95% confidence interval) effect sizes. Significance was accepted at p ≤ 0.05. Small-to-moderate changes were observed in all variables following westbound travel. These changes may be because of retention of high training loads before travel resulting in the athletes being in a fatigued state, whereas travel time worked as a forced recovery period. Reductions in CMJ performance are likely following westbound travel, however, may be affected by training fatigue before travel that may confound CMJ performance as a monitoring metric.

Analysis of Low-Time Pilot Attitudes in University Aviation Association Member Flight Schools

Hazardous attitudes, such as antiauthority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation, may increase the risk of accident or incident in aviation. Hazardous attitudes is an overarching term, based on different perceptions and behaviors, which may negativity affect decision making in pilots. The Aviation Safety Attitudes Scale, which addresses attitudes in three areas (Self-Confidence, Risk Orientation, and Safety Orientation), was give to 302 low-time pilots (fewer than 250 hours of flight time). The purpose of this quantitative, survey research was to determine the potential hazardous attitudes of flight school students. Factorial Analysis revealed differences in three areas among the sample: Certification by Number of hours flown in previous 90 days interaction on Safety Orientation was overall statistically significant, F (2,296)=6.333, p=0.002; Certification by Gender integration on Risk Orientation was overall statistically significant, F (1,294)=4.48, p=0.035; and Gender by Certification interaction on Self-Confidence was overall significant, F (1,294)=10.324, p=0.01. The researchers concluded that although the overall hazardous attitudes of pilots are appropriate, there may be additional opportunities for instructors and curriculum developers to continually reinforce hazardous attitude awareness.

The First Aerial Journey from Portugal to Macau

On 1920, Brito Pais and Sarmento Beires tried an unsuccessful flight attempt from Amadora, Lisbon to Madeira Island onboard an airplane Breguet XIV A2, named “Cavaleiro Negro”. Despite the scarce means of navigation both navigators managed to reach Madeira, which failed to land due to dense fog. On their way back after 8 hours of flight time, they alight at the Atlantic Ocean for lack of fuel and were rescued at about 500 km from Lisbon. On 1922, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral conducted the First Aerial Cross of the South Atlantic, flying from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. The Portuguese Aeronautics rejoiced auspicious days that time, with its aviation pioneers trying consecutively to reach more distant places along intercontinental flights. On 1923, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral were contemplating to perform an Around the World Flight. However, Sacadura died in 1924, while piloting an airplane acquired for the circumnavigation voyage. Later on 1924 the pilots Brito Pais and Sarmento Beires idealized the conducting of an aerial flight from Lisbon to Macau as an aspiration for a future Portuguese Around the World Flight attempt: on 7 April 1924, those pilots departed from Vila Nova de Milfontes in a Breguet XIV Bn2 airplane, starting their Journey to Macau. During a flight stage on 7 May an engine failure forced them to crash the airplane at India; on 30 May, both pilots managed to continue the Voyage in a De Havilland DH9 aircraft before being forced to end their attempt in 20 June in flying over Macau. A typhoon hindered their efforts to land and the airplane was crash landed in Chinese Territory about 800 meters from the Hong Kong Border. On 25 June 1924, they were shuttled back to Macau by boat. Brito Pais, Sarmento Beires and Manuel Gouveia returned to Portugal, via North America, visiting several Portugueses nuclei at China, Japan, United States and England. They went to Portugal on 9 September, after having flown a total of 16,760 km in 117:41 h facing often extremely adverse atmospheric conditions, sandstorms and inaccurate navigation maps.

Aerial ungulate surveys with a combination of infrared and high–resolution natural colour images

Information on animal population sizes is crucial for wildlife management. In aerial surveys, we used a silent light aircraft (microlight) and a combination of a computer–linked thermal infrared camera (640 x 480 pixels) to detect ungulates and high–resolution visual images (5,616 x 3,744 pixels) to identify specific species. From winter 2008/2009 to winter 2010/2011, we flew 48 missions over three German national parks and a German/ French biosphere reserve. Within each study area, we followed non–overlapping linear transects with a flying altitude ~450 m above ground level and scanned 1,500–2,000 ha every two hours of flight time. Animals best detected and identified were red deer and fallow deer. Detection rates with respect to the type and density of vegetation cover ranged from 0% (young spruce) to 75% (young defoliated beech) to 100% (open land). This non–invasive method is cost–effective and suitable for many landscapes.

Development of a Methodology to Assess Mechanical Impulse Effects Resulting from Lightning Attachment to Lightweight Aircraft Structures

The effect of lightning attachment to structures and vehicles is a cause of major concern to a number of different industries, in particular the aerospace industry, where the consequences of such an event can be catastrophic. In 1963, a Boeing 707 was brought down in Maryland killing 81 people on board, triggering the improvement of lightning protection standards. However, commercial jets are still struck on average once every 10,000 hours of flight time and between 1963 and 1989 forty lightning related accidents were recorded within the U.S.A alone. The rapid increase in the use of composite materials in aircraft design and the consequent increase in complexity when determining the effects of a lightning strike, has led to new challenges in aircraft protection and the requirement for improved understanding and standardisation.

Cancer incidence among Norwegian airline pilots.

In this retrospective cohort study, the cancer incidence of commercial pilots was studied to determine whether exposure at work has any influence on the incidence of cancer. The cohort was established from the files of the Civil Aviation Administration and included people who had valid licenses as commercial pilots between 1946 and 1994. Basic data about their flight careers were recorded, and exposure to cosmic radiation was estimated. The cohort was linked to the Cancer Register of Norway. The observed number of cases was compared with that expected based on national rates. A group of 3701 male pilots was followed over 70 560 person-years. There were 200 cases of cancer versus 188.8 expected, with a standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of 1.06 and a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 0.92-1.22. No significant decreased risk was found for any cancer site. Excess risks were found for malignant melanoma (22 cases SIR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-2.7) and nonmelanoma skin cancer (14 cases, SIR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.0). For malignant melanoma, there was a significant trend for the SIR by cumulative dose. For most cancer sites, the incidence among pilots did not deviate from that of the general population and could not be related to block hours of flight time or dose. It seems more likely that the excess risks of malignant melanoma and skin cancer are explained by factors related to life-style rather than by conditions at work.

Expertise and Age Effects on Pilot Mental Workload in a Simulated Aviation Task

This study investigated the effects of expertise and age on cognitive resources relevant to mental workload of pilots engaged in simulated aviation tasks. A secondary task workload assessment methodology was used, with a PC-based flying task as the primary task, and a Sternberg choice reaction time task as the secondary task. A mixed design using repeated measures was employed, with age and expertise as between-subjects factors and workload as the within-subjects factor. Pilots ranging in age from 21 to 79 years and 28 to 11,817 hours of flight time served as subjects. Of interest was whether expertise would mitigate the adverse effect of aging on pilots' mental workload handling ability as defined by two measures of secondary task performance: choice reaction time and accuracy. Results indicated that expertise did mitigate the effects of age regarding secondary task accuracy. Implications of results are discussed, and directions for future research are presented.

A Ten-Year Overview of USAF F-16 Mishap Attributes from 1980–89

The F-16 Falcon jet fighter is a marvel of engineering. Having been in operational United States Air Force service since approximately 1980, this fly-by-wire aircraft can climb vertically, sustain a 9-G turn without the loss of airspeed, and fly greater than the speed of sound. With such capabilities, this aircraft was originally designed and conceived of as a daylight air-to-air “dog-fighting” pilot's dream. As time has passed, the F-16 aircraft has been tasked with carrying out much more diverse missions than only day air-to-air combat. The aircraft and highly-trained pilots that fly it now accomplish additional missions such as day and night ground attack. An examination of ten years of USAF Safety Center accident data revealed that the F-16 aircraft had 59 Class A operational mishaps during this period. This was the highest number for any single-seat fighter-attack aircraft, and second only to the Aggressor's “Red Flag” F-5 per 100,000 hours of flight time (Class A Accident Rates: F-16 2.86 v. F-5 4.76). Incidentally, about 73% of the Royal Netherlands Air Force pilots reported that they were more susceptible to spatial disorientation and loss of situation awareness in the F-16 compared to other fighter aircraft that they had flown. After 11 years of operational experience, 21 of 210 of the Netherlands' F-16 aircraft were destroyed. A detailed examination of the USAF database revealed that a host of human factors issues are pertinent to the F-16 such as the loss of situation awareness, spatial disorientation, G-induced loss of consciousness, etc.; all of which contributed heavily to the accident rates cited for this aircraft. Additionally, cockpit design issues relatable to man-machine interfacing present human factors challenges to the pilot as well depending upon the mission scenario. The majority (53%) of F-16 accidents occurred during low-level or maneuvering flight. About 20% of the F-16 mishaps happened during the takeoff or landing phase of operations. Over 60% of the accidents were deemed by investigating officers to have “channelized attention” as a definite contributor to the mishap rate. Other human factors issues such as task oversaturation, distraction, and a variety of spatial disorientation problems contributed to many of the accidents also. Cockpit improvements, research, better training/awareness programs and Ground Collision Avoidance Devices (GCAS/PARS) are all suggested as methods to reduce future F-16 Falcon accident rates.

Investigation of the Effects of Bandwidth and Time Delay on Helicopter Roll‐Axis Handling Qualities

Several years of cooperative research conducted under the U.S./German Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in helicopter aeromechanics have recently resulted in a successful handling qualities study. The focus of this cooperative research has been the effect of time delays in a high bandwidth vehicle on handling qualities. The jointly performed study included the use of U.S. ground-based simulation and German in-flight simulation facilities. The NASA-Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) was used to develop a high bandwidth slalom tracking task which took into consideration the constraints of the facilities. The VMS was used to define a range of the test parameters and to perform initial handling qualities evaluations. The flight tests were conducted using DLR's variable-stability BO 105 S3 Advanced Technology Testing Helicopter System (ATTHeS). Configurations included a rate command and an attitude command response system with added time delays of up to 160 milliseconds over the baseline and band width values between 1.5 and 4.5 rad/sec. Sixty-six evaluations were performed in about 25 hours of flight time during ten days of testing. The results indicate a need to more tightly constrain the allowable roll axis phase delay for the Level 1 and Level 2 requirements in the U.S. Army's specification for helicopter handling qualities Aeronautical Design Standard (ADS)-33C.

Investigation of the Effects of Bandwidth and Time Delay on Helicopter Roll-Axis Handling Qualities

Several years of cooperative research conducted under the U.S./German Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in helicopter flight control has recently resulted in a successful handling qualities study. The focus of this cooperative research has been the effects on handling qualities due to time delays in combination with a high bandwidth vehicle. The jointly performed study included the use of U.S. ground-based simulation and German in-flight simulation facilities. The NASA-Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) was used to develop a high bandwidth slalom tracking task which took into consideration the constraints of the facilities. The VMS was also used to define a range of the test parameters and to perform initial handling qualities evaluations. The flight tests were conducted using DLR's variable-stability BO 105 S3 Advanced Technology Testing Helicopter System (ATTHeS). Configurations included a rate command and an attitude command response system with added time delays up to 160 milliseconds over the baseline and bandwidth values between 1.5 and 4.5 rad/sec. Sixty-six evaluations were performed in about 25 hours of flight time during ten days of testing. The results indicate a need to more tightly constrain the allowable roll axis phase delay for the Level 1 and Level 2 requirements in the U.S. Army's specification for helicopter handling qualities, ADS-33C.

Commercial development and experience with catalytic ozone abatement in jet aircraft

A catalytic ozone abater can effectively decompose the ozone in the air that is fed to the passenger cabin of high flying commercial jet aircraft. The first commercial application of this technology was in 1983. Since that time, catalytic decomposition of ozone has become the state-of-the-art for purifying aircraft cabin air. To date, over 20,000 hours of flight time has been accumulated on many abaters. This paper describes the early development of this technology and the key performance characteristics of the catalyst. With the accumulation of flight hours, many abaters have been returned for performance tests and post analysis for causes of activity decline. This information provides details on the effect of the operating environment and the aging characteristics of the catalyst. Finally, factors that are being considered for the development of a second generation catalyst will be presented.

Clear Air Turbulence: An Airborne Alert System

An infrared radiometer system has been developed that can alert a pilot of an aircraft 2 to 9 minutes in advance of an encounter with clear air turbulence. The time between the warning and the clear air turbulence event varies with the flight altitude of the aircraft. In turbulence-free areas, the incidence of false alarms is found to be less than one in 3.4 hours of flight time compared to less than one per 10 hours of flight time in areas with turbulence.

An Evaluation of Ground-Based Flight Trainers in Routine Primary Flight Training

The relative benefits of different types of flight training equipment were evaluated in a routine instructional situation with no particular constraints placed upon the instructor as to how he used the equipment and without interfering with the normal course of flight training. The specific objectives of this research program were: (1) to evaluate the flight instructors' ability to predict success in private pilot training on the basis of students' initial performances in each of two ground trainers as opposed to actual aircraft, (2) to determine the relative value of 11 hours of flight instruction in two different ground trainers, and (3) to develop an objective scale for checking flight proficiency. There was a significant positive correlation of 0.50 between predictions based on two hours of training in the ground-based trainers and actual hours required to pass the flight check, but a nonsignificant negative correlation of 0.22 for predictions based on two hours in the aircraft. The ground trainer groups passed their flight checks with an average of slightly more than an how greater total time than those trained exclusively in the aircraft. On the basis of equivalent levels of group performance, 11 hours of training in the AN-T-18 resulted in a saving of 9 hours of flight time, thereby yielding a transfer effectiveness ratio of 0.8. Eleven hours of training in the GAT-1 resulted in a saving of 11 hours of flight time, yielding a transfer effectiveness ratio value of 1.0. The transfer effectiveness ratio is a new measure that directly relates the saving in learning one task to the amount of training on another.